


follow you, follow me

by emmerrr



Series: Only Fools Rush In [19]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-21
Updated: 2017-09-21
Packaged: 2019-01-03 21:21:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12155055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmerrr/pseuds/emmerrr
Summary: Adam’s extended absences during the summer, especially given the reasons for them, mean Ronan has plenty of time to think about the future. Adam being at college, whilst at times has been so heart-wrenchingly difficult, has also allowed a certain amount of routine. Not that Ronan’s ever particularly cared for routines, but it’s not to say he can’t get used to them, and he had got used to Adam’s. He knew all of Adam’s college dates, knew when he had time off, knew when he’d be home, or when Ronan could go and visit. And these dates fell at almost the exact same time every year.Once Adam has graduated, however, all of that goes out the window. It’ll be an unknown for both of them; something new to navigate, especially if Ronan remains at the Barns. It’ll mean even less time to see each other, and Ronan is tired. So fucking tired of long distance. Missing people is exhausting, not to mention it seems pointless if there’s something he can actually do about it.





	follow you, follow me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [veronicahague](https://archiveofourown.org/users/veronicahague/gifts).



> tumblr prompt from midtempohands: maybe something about ronan and adam planning out their future post-college and ronan having a healthy perspective about the barns being his home but not a place he needs to be tied to emotionally forever?
> 
> (the title is a genesis song, chosen because I had to think of one to post it on here and this was all I could think of without just calling it 'home' or something really boring)

The summer before Adam’s final year at college somehow manages to feel both shorter and longer than all the summers that have come before it. Shorter because Adam picks up a  _lot_  more hours at Boyd’s than he usually does making it almost feel like he hasn’t come back at all. Longer for pretty much the exact same reason; Ronan still feels like he’s waiting for Adam to come home, the time they snatch in between the working hours blissful and yet never enough.

Adam’s plan is to save as much money as possible so that he can drop one of the part-time jobs he has at college when he goes back and devote the extra time to his studies and internship applications, in preparation for his post-graduation future.

Ronan broods about the loss of time. But he does it quietly, when Adam’s at work and not there to witness it. He’s driving Opal up the wall.

He’s half-tempted to just transfer all of the money Adam would need for the year into his account, but he knows it would just cause a row of colossal proportions. Ronan and Adam fight nowhere near as much as they used to, but whenever they  _do_ , it is almost always about money.

The problem being, of course, that Ronan’s always  _had_  it. He’s flippant about it in a way that Adam’s never been able to be. He doesn’t feel guilty about it because it’s a waste of time; he can’t help it any more than Adam can, and Adam doesn’t want his guilt anyway. He just wants Ronan to try and understand, and that? That Ronan can do.

He knows how Adam works. He has always known.

Adam’s extended absences during the summer, especially given the reasons for them, mean Ronan has plenty of time to think about the future. Adam being at college, whilst at times has been so heart-wrenchingly difficult, has also allowed a certain amount of routine. Not that Ronan’s ever particularly cared for routines, but it’s not to say he can’t get used to them, and he  _had_  got used to Adam’s. He knew all of Adam’s college dates, knew when he had time off, knew when he’d be home, or when Ronan could go and visit. And these dates fell at almost the exact same time every year.

Once Adam has graduated, however, all of that goes out the window. It’ll be an unknown for both of them; something new to navigate, especially if Ronan remains at the Barns. It’ll mean even less time to see each other, and Ronan is  _tired_. So fucking tired of long distance. Missing people is exhausting, not to mention it seems pointless if there’s something he can actually do about it.

This is what he’s been thinking about on Adam’s last day of summer vacation. A day that Adam spends the majority of at Boyd’s, annoyingly enough. He wasn’t originally going to work it but Boyd called last minute having been let down by not one but two other members of staff, desperate enough that he said he’d pay Adam double overtime rates. An offer too good to refuse.

“Don’t pout, I’ll be back in time for dinner,” Adam had said on his way out of the door.

“Fuck off, Parrish,” Ronan had replied pleasantly.

It’s an overcast day, the humidity making it feel muggy and uncomfortable as Ronan goes about his day. He gets a lot done; he mows the lawn outside the farmhouse that leads down to the first of the fields, sees to the vegetable and fruit patches he has growing, cleans out half of one of the barns, and tidies up the entire house (with the exception of his own bedroom, which is currently a mess as Adam’s been in the process of packing and the sight is a stark reminder that he’ll be gone again soon). Opal disappeared sometime in the morning and hasn’t reappeared yet. Ronan’s not concerned; she often takes herself off to wander about the place, treasure hunting or tormenting Chainsaw. She always comes back again, usually completely filthy and having exhausted herself with her day’s activities.

Ronan’s making spaghetti bolognese when Adam gets back from work. The side door that enters into the kitchen swings closed and Adam lets out an exhausted sigh.

“That smells amazing,” he says, hooking his chin over Ronan’s shoulder and pressing a kiss into his cheek.

“It’s just spaghetti,” Ronan replies, rolling his eyes, but he’s pleased and Adam can tell. He nuzzles into Ronan’s neck for a moment and then retreats to the kitchen table, sitting down with a groan like it’s the hardest thing he’s done all day.

Ronan looks around at him and Adam smiles at the attention. “Long day,” he explains. “It’s nice to sit down.” He turns his good ear towards the door that leads off towards the rest of the house and listens for a few seconds, then turns back to Ronan. “Where’s Opal?”

“Your guess is a good as mine,” Ronan says wryly. “Terrorising the local wildlife no doubt.”

Adam snorts; the corner of his eyes crinkles in amusement and Ronan is undone. He checks to make sure his pasta isn’t bubbling over, and when he’s satisfied that nothing on the hob needs his immediate attention, he sits down opposite Adam. “Listen, Adam, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Adam raises both eyebrows. “Is this going to be as ominous as it sounds?”

Ronan scowls. “Fuck off, no, it’s not ominous.”

Adam’s expression turns serious. “What is it?”

Ronan’s not good with words. Not even after all this time; he’d still rather let his actions do all the talking for him. But he’s also an adult now, and he’s learned that there’s some things that really  _do_  need to be said out loud.

“It’s just that — it’s your last year now. And when it’s over you’ll be graduating and you’ll get an internship in a city somewhere, and your structure won’t be like it is now. And I guess I was wondering where you want me to… to fit in with all of that?”

Adam frowns now, proper confusion spreading across his face. “Ronan, what do you mean?”

Ronan huffs in exasperation and wishes, for one fleeting second, that he was as eloquent as Gansey. “I mean do you want to keep doing what we’re doing now? Seeing each other every so often except maybe even less than before? Or do you want me to come  _with_  you?”

Adam goes stock still, eyes widening a fraction. Slowly, he rests his forearms on the table in front of him, clasping his hands together. When he speaks, it’s even-toned, the words picked carefully. “I wasn’t aware that second point was an option.”

Ronan narrows his eyes. “Of course it’s a fucking option.”

Adam smiles, quick-silver. “You’d come with me? Really?” It’s like he can hardly dare to hope, and it settles Ronan’s resolve.

“You know I would,” he says. “If you really think about it, you fuckin’ know I would.”

“But Ronan, this place, the Barns… it’s your  _home_.”

Ronan shrugs. “Yeah, it is. It’ll always be my home. But honestly, it feels less like home when you’re not here,” he admits. It’s a pretty sappy thing to say, and Ronan has been known to let a few sappy things slip when it comes to Adam, but still. He has a reputation.

Adam grins wider, then looks around the room. “You wouldn’t sell it, would you?”

Ronan thinks about it for a minute, but the idea of someone else calling the Barns home unsettles him. Just thinking about another family making memories here makes his skin crawl. The Barns is a place of dreamers and dreams, and as such it should remain the property of dreamers and dreams. “No,” he says. “It’s — fuck, it’s part of my  _heart_ , you know? I could never sell it.”

“Good,” Adam says quickly. “That’s good. You shouldn’t. That way we’ve always got it to come back to, if and when we want. And you could split your time if there were things you needed to do here that you couldn’t do wherever I am…” he trails off and bites his lip, clearly lost in thought as he considers the logistics, but that’s okay. This is good; it finally feels like they’re planning for  _their_  future instead of planning separately and just hoping for the best. Communication is still such a tricky thing, but look at them now?

Adam meets Ronan’s eyes again. “Are we really doing this then, Ronan? Are you going to come and live with me properly, wherever I end up after graduation?”

“Adam,” Ronan says, and he reaches across the table and twines his fingers with Adam’s. “I want a life with you, and that doesn’t really work if I never get to  _see_  you. So, yeah. I’m gonna come and live with you, as long as that’s what you want.”

Adam smiles again, laughs breathlessly like he can’t quite believe it, then lifts Ronan’s hand to his mouth and kisses his knuckles — a move he learned from Ronan. “Yes, Ronan. That’s what I want,” he says.

A stillness settles inside Ronan, calm finally flooding through his veins after a day of feeling unsteady and unsure. Adam is still leaving tomorrow, then there’s still almost a year to go to sort out everything that would need to be sorted out. They don’t know where they’ll be yet, there’s Opal to consider, and all sorts of other niggling grown-up responsibilities that no doubt will need to be taken care of.

But the important thing is, they’ll be together.

“Lynch,” Adam says, and there’s a sparkle in his eyes.

“Yes, Parrish?”

“Your spaghetti water is bubbling over.”

**Author's Note:**

> cross posted on [tumblr](http://emmerrr.tumblr.com/post/165594713059)  
> feel free to send me prompts! I'll get to them even if it takes a little while (providing it's something I feel like I can write!)


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